Side Effect
by EchoLoco
Summary: Ukitake reflects on one of the more pleasant results of his frequent infirmary visits.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This is just a little UnoUki drabble that popped into my head. I'm thinking of doing a series of drabbles, either with prompts from a list or suggestions from reviewers - the thing is, I'd like to make it both ShunXNanao and UnoUki, but this is only my second UnoUki and I don't know if I'm writing that pair okay... for some reason, they're trickier than ShunXNanao. So feel free to let me know what you think.**

**And of course, I don't own Bleach. **

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Ukitake awoke to a strange tickling sensation near his mouth. He sneezed lightly, but his mouth still itched and he reached to brush away whatever was causing it.

His hand caught a bundle of soft fibers. Opening his eyes, he saw that he was holding the end of a long, black braid. A braid that was attached to a peacefully sleeping Unohana.

A pleasantly surprised Juushirou grinned, and brushed the silky hair against his lips again, before reaching over to tickle Retsu's nose with it. A hand brushed sleepily at the intrusion before she blinked her eyes open.

She smiled sweetly for a moment before realization dawned, and she gasped. A blush blossomed on her cheeks and she sprang off the hospital bed, but Juushirou caught the sleeve of her haori before she could back away.

"Juushirou-sama! I'm so sorry!" Unohana exclaimed, flustered. "I must have fallen asleep while I was checking on you last night."

"Don't be, Retsu-san," Ukitake chuckled. "It was by far the most pleasant side effect I've ever experienced."

Unohana blushed even brighter before her expression softened into a shy smile.

"Stay with me a little longer, Retsu?" Ukitake asked, tugging on the sleeve he still held.

"I shouldn't," Unohana stammered.

Ukitake gave another light tug at the sleeve, bringing it to his face so he could kiss the healer's hand.

"After how long we've danced around this, I really think you should," he murmured against her soft skin.

Unohana took a hesitant step closer to his bedside, and he was able to capture her by the waist and draw her into the bed next to him. She looked at him with wide eyes for a moment before cuddling against him, resting her head against his chest.

"You sound better this morning," she whispered, trying to maintain some excuse of professionalism, however superficial.

Ukitake kissed the top of her head. "I feel delightful this morning," he agreed.

Unohana smiled contentedly as the man she had loved in secret for centuries wrapped his arms gently around her. His chest rose and fell in perfect rhythm under her, and she was glad that his most recent bout of illness had subsided. Last night she had been his healer, but this morning, he was healthy, and she was just his.

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**OMAKE**

Isane frowned at her clipboard, perplexed. Unohana-taicho hadn't shown up for rounds that morning, so she had retrieved the second page of the patient list from the division office. Isane had already completed her own list, but Unohana's had all the difficult patients - most of them unranked Eleventh Division members who regularly picked fights to try to prove their strength.

She decided to get the easier one out of the way before dealing with those. She headed for Ukitake-taicho's room.

Opening the door, she found her missing captain, curled up against Ukitake with one hand tucked into his robe.

"Taicho! What are you doing?" she exclaimed.

Unohana looked over her shoulder at her gaping lieutenant. "I'm checking his breathing," she replied causally, shuffling her hand around inside Ukitake's shirt.

Ukitake grinned, leaning up to steal a quick kiss from Unohana. "And I'm checking hers," he remarked when they broke apart.

The door slammed, and footsteps clattered toward the wing of the infirmary where the Eleventh Division members were staying.

Retsu and Juushirou laughed.


	2. Alternate Ending

**Alternate Omake**

Hanatarou looked at the list Lieutenant Kotetsu had given him. Apparently Captain Unohana hadn't come in to the infirmary for rounds, so the lieutenant had split her duties among the two younger officers.

The Seventh Seat gave a resigned sigh. He hated having the violent show-offs from Eleventh Division on his list, but at least Isane had been kind enough to give him Ukitake as a balance.

He decided to start with the pleasant captain, and was surprised to find his missing captain in the room with him.

He was also somewhat surprised to find Unohana curled up against Ukitake with one hand tucked into his robe, but he figured it must be some clever new technique that his knowledgeable captain had developed.

"Ano, taicho... what are you doing?" he asked.

Unohana looked over her shoulder at her timid lieutenant. "I'm checking his breathing," she replied causally, shuffling her hand around inside Ukitake's shirt.

Ukitake grinned, leaning up to steal a quick kiss from Unohana. "And I'm checking hers," he remarked when they broke apart.

Hanatarou nodded, but he looked perplexed. "Okay, taicho. I'll leave him to you, then."

He let himself out, and Retsu and Juushirou shared a chuckle at the awkward but gifted healer.

Unfortunately, Unohana later regretted having a little laugh at her Seventh Seat's expense, when she found him trembling in a supply closet, holding a large syringe of sedative in a death grip.

"Yamada-kun, what happened?" she asked, kneeling to rest a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder.

"I... I..."

"Calm down, Hanatarou. Just tell me what happened. The Eleventh wasn't harassing you again were they?"

Hanatarou nodded meekly. "I just... I... Well, there was this one who got punched in the chest, so I needed to check his breathing, and I used that new technique you and Ukitake-taicho were using earlier, and..."

Unohana, compassionate and controlled shinigami that she was, didn't laugh. She marched over to the wing of the infirmary where the Eleventh Division members were housed and gave them a lecture that felt like a beating.

And then, she returned to the office and allowed herself a small smile at Hanatarou's mistake.


End file.
